Shabari ke Ber

Kuleen Jatayu ka antim sanskaar karne ke baad, Ram aur Lakshman Sita ki khoj mein ghane van se hote hue dakshin ki or apni yatra jaari rakhe. Unke hriday dukh se bhaari the, lekin unka sankalp adig tha. Chalte-chalte ve Rishi Matang ke aashram pahunche, jo sundar Pampa jheel ke tat par mahaan pavitrata ka sthaan tha. Aashram ab veeraan tha, kyonki rishi bahut pehle moksh prapt kar chuke the, lekin ek shishya abhi bhi wahan nishtha se prateeksha kar rahi thi. Vah Shabari thi, ek janjaatiya samudaay ki vriddh mahila, jisne apne jeevankaal mein Rishi Matang ki poorn bhakti se seva ki thi. Jab Matang apna nashvar shareer chhodne wale the, to Shabari royeen aur poocha ki uska kya hoga. Rishi muskuraaye aur usse dukh na karne ko kaha. Unhone kaha ki Ayodhya ke rajkumar Ram ek din apne vanvaas ke dauraan uske aashram aayenge, aur unki seva karke vah sarvochch moksh prapt karegi. In shabdon ko apne jeevan ka uddeshya banaakar Shabari tab se prateeksha kar rahi thi, varsh dar varsh, aashram ko saaf aur maargon ko buhaarkar rakhte hue. Har subah vah bhor se pehle uthti aur van se taaze ber ikattha karti, vishesh roop se meethe-khatte ber phal jo Pampa ke aaspaas prachurta se ugte the. Vah har ber ko alag rakhne se pehle swayam chakhti, taaki jab uske Prabhu aayein to keval sabse meethe ber hi arpit kiye jaayein. Kshetra ke anya tapasvi uske nimn janm ke kaaran use heya drishti se dekhte the, lekin Shabari ko unke tiraskaar ki koi parvaah nahin thi. Uska hriday keval Ram mein laga tha. Har sandhya vah maargon ko phir se buhaarti aur apni kutiya ke dwaar par ek chhota deep jalaati, taaki uske Prabhu jab bhi aayein to maarg spasht paayein. Vanya pashu uske aaspaas paaltu ho gaye, aur Pampa ke pakshi uske komal charnon ko pehchaanne lage. Dashak beet gaye, aur uske baal safed ho gaye, lekin uski shraddha ek bhi din nahin dagmagaayi. Ek dhanya din uski lambi prateeksha samaapt hui. Ram aur Lakshman aashram pahunche, yatra se thake hue, unke valkal vastra dhool bhare aur unke chehre dukh se khinche hue. Shabari ne unhe door se dekha aur uska hriday aanand se uchhal pada. Vah unse milne daudi, uski boodhi aankhon se aansu beh rahe the, aur Ram ke charnon mein gir padi. Kaanpte haathon se usne unke pair dhoye, unhe apni vinamra kutiya mein le gayi aur sammaan se baithaaya. Phir usne ve ber nikaale jo usne usi subah ikattha kiye the, har ek prem se chakha aur chuna hua. Usne haath jodkar unhe Ram ko arpit kiya, uski aawaaz bhaavna se rundh gayi thi. Lakshman ek kshan ke liye hichkichaye, kyonki ber kisi aur ke munh se chakhe gaye the, aur rivaaj aise arpan ko anuchit maanta tha. Lekin Ram ne turant uphaar ke peechhe bhakti ke saagar ko samajh liya. Unhone ber liye aur ruchi se khaaye, baar-baar unki mithaas ki prashansa ki. Unhone Lakshman se kaha ki shuddh prem se kiya gaya koi arpan kabhi apavitra nahin ho sakta, aur Shabari ke ber unhe sabse badhiya shaahi bhoj se bhi meethe lage. Shabari ka aanand aseem tha. Usne bhaiyon ko aashram ghumaaya, un sthaanon ko dikhaaya jahaan Maharshi Matang ne dhyaan kiya tha, aur door chamakti Pampa jheel dikhaayi. Usne rishi ke vachan ke baare mein bataaya aur kaise usne itne varshon tak prateeksha ki thi. Ram ne gehre sammaan se suna aur use aashirvaad diya, kaha ki uski bhakti ka poorn phal mila hai. Unhone usse kaha ki uske guru ke vachan satya hue hain, aur ab vah apne arjit moksh ko prapt karne ke liye swatantra hai. Aanand se abhibhoot hokar Shabari ne Ram se apna vriddh shareer chhodne ki anumati maangi. Unke aashirvaad se vah gehre dhyaan mein pavitra agni mein pravesh kar gayi, aur uski aatma swarg mein aarohit hui, tejasvi aur mukt. Devtaon ne uski vida hoti aatma par phool barsaye. Ram aur Lakshman der tak maun khade rahe, jo unhone dekha tha usse vinamra. Rajaon aur yoddhaon ki duniya mein ek gareeb boodhi janjaatiya mahila ne unhe sabse shuddh paath padhaaya tha, ki Ishwar janm ya dhan ya karmkand nahin dekhte, keval bhakt ke hriday ka prem dekhte hain. Uske aashirvaad aur udaaharan se bal paakar bhai Pampa jheel ki or badhe, jahaan Hanuman aur Sugreev se unki bhent prateeksha kar rahi thi, aur Sita ki mahaan khoj sach mein shuru hone wali thi. Aur jab bhi Ram baad ke varshon mein yah katha sunaate, unki aawaaz mridu ho jaati, kyonki kisi shaahi bhoj ne unke hriday ko Shabari ke beron jaisa nahin chhua tha.